P0442 MIL

[kbuskill]

I haven’t had the opportunity to refill yet. My current % has not moved off 3% since I reset it and have been running the zero ethanol pump gas.

I think I may try my usual Costco “not more than 10%” and see if it pops way back up where it was when I discovered the high 30’s % ethanol content. If it does pop back up. I will reset it again and verify that it jumps back up again. Then I will run it down to near zero and refill with the zero ethanol pump gas. This time, I may hold off resetting amd see if the truck tracks back down percentage wise to 3%.

It is very confusing, and I suspect part of the problem rests somewhere in the GM flex fuel software. But I am definitely also thinking the gas companies may be spiking their gas with higher ethanol content, perhaps on a random basis.

I think if we run down enough blind alleys, maybe a pattern will emerge and some conclusions drawn.

PS - I think I said the zero ethanol gas I was using was Mobil, that was a brain fart as the zero ethanol pump gas I have been using is 76.

The ethanol free for me was from WaWa.

 

[Fless]

So I filled up with my normal Mobil 89 tonight.

The truck took 26 gallons so I would expect, with the not more than 10% ethanol sign on the pump, that my ethanol percentage would have been somewhere under 10%.... but no.

After the ethanol percentage fluctuated all over the place, from 5% up to 30%, it finally settled in at 18.5% according to my Torque Pro app.

I don't know what to think at this point. Either my truck is not calculating it correctly or the Mobil station is selling me more ethanol content then they are claiming.

Maybe next fill up I will try a different station and see what the results are.

Why not start testing at the pump with one of these? Might be a bit of a hassle to do often but it should tell you.

https://www.amazon.com/REV-X-Super-...ocphy=9028763&hvtargid=pla-568587015246&psc=1

 

[kbuskill]

Why not start testing at the pump with one of these? Might be a bit of a hassle to do often but it should tell you.

https://www.amazon.com/REV-X-Super-...ocphy=9028763&hvtargid=pla-568587015246&psc=1

View attachment 276676

I have considered it. Not sure what I would do with the gas/water mixture after the fact... lol

Also not sure how easy it would be to get the gas into the bottle without making a huge mess.

And then there is the question of what to do if they are, in fact, spiking the ethanol numbers.

So many questions.

 

[swathdiver]

Why not start testing at the pump with one of these?

I have considered it. Not sure what I would do with the gas/water mixture after the fact... lol

Buy an adapter to get the fuel from your rail and attach a length of hose to it. More than enough resides under pressure to fill the little bottle to take a sample. I just dump it on the ground or grass afterwards, no harm, no foul.

We're talking an ounce or two, the bottles look bigger than they really are Ken!

I have determined that my local Sunoco guys are playing around with the ethanol content in all of their fuels, you never know what you're going to get. The Shell and Racetrac stations are spot on every time for years now but are usually higher in cost. My go to Mobil and Chevron stations use very little, if any ethanol in their fuels.

 

[wsteele]

I have considered it. Not sure what I would do with the gas/water mixture after the fact... lol

Also not sure how easy it would be to get the gas into the bottle without making a huge mess.

And then there is the question of what to do if they are, in fact, spiking the ethanol numbers.

So many questions.

We had a long hike this morning, so I had time to ponder all these questions.

I think the way to do it is fill a small gas can while filling up, bring it home for the test.

I happen to have a couple of small gas cans I use for my small power landscape maintenance tools. I throw away the CARB compliant spouts and use the basic screw on spouts (gasspouts.com) instead, so no spills while pouring.

After the test, I can pour the excess back into my tank and use a cheap plastic bowl to set some place discreet to evaporate the test solution. Once dry, throw the bowl away.

Next, if they are putting lots of Ethanol in the gas, sue them for a millllion dollars (in my best Dr Evil voice).

I think I will wait until all my tests point firmly in the gas station direction, versus some glitch in my software or sensors, because, well, the kit costs $13...